Cichilds23
New Member
Im planning on switching my 20 gallon from freshwater over to salt, i have never done salt before so im not sure what i need or what fish i can even put in there. can someone recommend some fish and quantities?
Stocking list for a 20 gallon
- Thread starter Cichilds23
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Cichilds23
New Member
Yes i have, i work at a local pet store and i talk with the other customers about it. i plan to get RO water from the store in jugs only bc i dont want to get an RO system and then fail with the tank. I also plan to get a power head pushing about 256 gph, 15-20lbs of live sand adn about 10-15lbs of live rock.
Jesterrace
Active Member
Hate to say it but you are way under what you will need for a powerhead. Even a FOWLR (Fish Only With Live Rock) tank of that size should have at least 800-1000gph. Keep in mind that live rock needs the scale equivalent of ocean current for the bacteria to survive. If you plan on having any corals at some point you should be over 1000gph. Also is this a standard 20 gallon or a 20 gallon long (makes a big difference in the setup). If it's a 20 long you could probably get away with a pair of Ocellaris or Percula clownfish, a goby and/or firefish, if it's a standard 20 gallon then I would stick with 3 fish. I wouldn't put any more than 3-4 fish in a 20 gallon saltwater tank as the fish can be quite a bit more territorial and aggressive (even for species that are listed as generally peaceful). The RO purchase and RO/Saltwater premix are wise choices for a small tank since it helps minimize startup costs. I would put more live rock in that tank as that is your primary filter in a saltwater tank and is crucial for maintaining water perimeters (I would put 20-25 lbs in there). The live sand should be fine with about 15lbs.
Here is a list of equipment I would recommend:
A Fluval 50 or 70 HOB filter (this will allow you to add a chemipure bag after it cycles)
A Koralia Hydor Powerhead in the 1000-1100gph range for FOWLR and 1350gph if you want to do corals
6 sturdy 5 gallon watersafe jugs for the RO Water and RO/Saltwater Mix (keep in mind water evaporates but salt doesn't, so you will need to periodically add fresh RO water to top off your tank between water changes)
A Refractometer to measure the salinity of the water (Hydrometers are notoriously inaccurate and are a waste of money). Ideally the best balance for fish and corals is generally considered 1.025.
A Marine Care Water Test Kit (ie Red Sea as API is notoriously hit and miss for their Saltwater kit)
15lbs of some form of aquarium safe sand (live sand will work)
20-25 lbs of live rock (or you can do some dry base rock and seed with a few pieces of live rock if you want to save some $, just be aware it takes longer)
An LED light. If you are doing FOWLR then a basic LED aquarium light will be fine, if you want corals you are going to need to spend $100-$200 to get a solid full spectrum LED light for coral growth.
A tankheater that is specifically listed as being appropriate for Marine environments (most are, but some of the ones that come with tank kits aren't suitable). I would definitely start with a new one as Tank Heaters are not expensive but they can easily screw up an otherwise expensive investment.
As for getting setup, the first thing you will need to do is sanitize the existing tank. Tap water mixed with a gallon of white distilled vinegar (don't use red wine vinegar as it will stain everything) running for a few days WITH ALL PREVIOUSLY USED EQUIPMENT to kill any residual freshwater bacteria and nasties would be recommended. It's okay to use tap water before you get things setup, after that use RO for EVERYTHING (including rinsing your test vials, filter media, etc.). Once you get done with the vinegar water cycle, it probably wouldn't hurt to drain and refill with plain tapwater and just let it run for 24 hours, then completely drain, wipe down and let air dry for 24 hours. This is just to make sure to flush out any residual vinegar. This will bring your tank to the point where it should be sanitized and completely ready for you to add Sand, Live Rock, Saltwater, Tank Heater, Powerhead and Filter. For Filtration just do a basic carbon filter during the cycling process. The water will be very cloudy for a couple of days until the sand settles. Now this part is very important: THE CYCLING PROCESS GENERALLY TAKES 30-60 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Most newbie mistakes in saltwater come from not letting the tank completely cycle. Other than seed bacteria and maybe a small piece of food (ie Frozen Reef Frenzy or Shrimp) to jump start the process YOU DO NOT ADD ANYTHING TO THE WATER DURING THE CYCLING PROCESS!!!!!! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TREAT IT WITH OTHER CHEMICALS!!!!!!! The basic process is as follows: You get an Ammonia Spike which breaks down, Followed by a Nitrite Spike which breaks down, Followed by a Nitrate Spike which breaks down. I would start testing after about the first week and do the Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate tests every few days until they are all 0. I wouldn't run the lights for at least the first couple of weeks otherwise you will get a premature algae bloom which can cause problems. Once this is done wait for your Brown Algae (Diatom) Bloom to come and go and then your tank will be cycled and ready for you to start adding life to your tank (I recommend starting with snails and/or small hermit crabs as they will be beneficial in algae control and are a cheap and easy way to test the tank to see if it is ready for fish). After a week or so and everything still tests okay, you are ready to add 1 or 2 fish. Generally quarantining fish in your own separate tank is recommended, but given your unique situation you might be able to use your fish store to quarantine your own fish and then simply take them home after a few weeks.
Here is a list of equipment I would recommend:
A Fluval 50 or 70 HOB filter (this will allow you to add a chemipure bag after it cycles)
A Koralia Hydor Powerhead in the 1000-1100gph range for FOWLR and 1350gph if you want to do corals
6 sturdy 5 gallon watersafe jugs for the RO Water and RO/Saltwater Mix (keep in mind water evaporates but salt doesn't, so you will need to periodically add fresh RO water to top off your tank between water changes)
A Refractometer to measure the salinity of the water (Hydrometers are notoriously inaccurate and are a waste of money). Ideally the best balance for fish and corals is generally considered 1.025.
A Marine Care Water Test Kit (ie Red Sea as API is notoriously hit and miss for their Saltwater kit)
15lbs of some form of aquarium safe sand (live sand will work)
20-25 lbs of live rock (or you can do some dry base rock and seed with a few pieces of live rock if you want to save some $, just be aware it takes longer)
An LED light. If you are doing FOWLR then a basic LED aquarium light will be fine, if you want corals you are going to need to spend $100-$200 to get a solid full spectrum LED light for coral growth.
A tankheater that is specifically listed as being appropriate for Marine environments (most are, but some of the ones that come with tank kits aren't suitable). I would definitely start with a new one as Tank Heaters are not expensive but they can easily screw up an otherwise expensive investment.
As for getting setup, the first thing you will need to do is sanitize the existing tank. Tap water mixed with a gallon of white distilled vinegar (don't use red wine vinegar as it will stain everything) running for a few days WITH ALL PREVIOUSLY USED EQUIPMENT to kill any residual freshwater bacteria and nasties would be recommended. It's okay to use tap water before you get things setup, after that use RO for EVERYTHING (including rinsing your test vials, filter media, etc.). Once you get done with the vinegar water cycle, it probably wouldn't hurt to drain and refill with plain tapwater and just let it run for 24 hours, then completely drain, wipe down and let air dry for 24 hours. This is just to make sure to flush out any residual vinegar. This will bring your tank to the point where it should be sanitized and completely ready for you to add Sand, Live Rock, Saltwater, Tank Heater, Powerhead and Filter. For Filtration just do a basic carbon filter during the cycling process. The water will be very cloudy for a couple of days until the sand settles. Now this part is very important: THE CYCLING PROCESS GENERALLY TAKES 30-60 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Most newbie mistakes in saltwater come from not letting the tank completely cycle. Other than seed bacteria and maybe a small piece of food (ie Frozen Reef Frenzy or Shrimp) to jump start the process YOU DO NOT ADD ANYTHING TO THE WATER DURING THE CYCLING PROCESS!!!!!! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TREAT IT WITH OTHER CHEMICALS!!!!!!! The basic process is as follows: You get an Ammonia Spike which breaks down, Followed by a Nitrite Spike which breaks down, Followed by a Nitrate Spike which breaks down. I would start testing after about the first week and do the Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate tests every few days until they are all 0. I wouldn't run the lights for at least the first couple of weeks otherwise you will get a premature algae bloom which can cause problems. Once this is done wait for your Brown Algae (Diatom) Bloom to come and go and then your tank will be cycled and ready for you to start adding life to your tank (I recommend starting with snails and/or small hermit crabs as they will be beneficial in algae control and are a cheap and easy way to test the tank to see if it is ready for fish). After a week or so and everything still tests okay, you are ready to add 1 or 2 fish. Generally quarantining fish in your own separate tank is recommended, but given your unique situation you might be able to use your fish store to quarantine your own fish and then simply take them home after a few weeks.
jay0705
Well-Known Member
Your power head in addition to filtration would be fine. Depending on your type of filtration. As listed above, hob is the easiest for a newbie. I like the fluval "aqua clear" hob filters, for a 20 i would use the up to 70 gal size tho. Big yes but it will off set the smaller powerhead and you can't really over filter.
For fish its not many so choose carefully. A few ideas, clown goby, yellow goby, fire fish, pygmy hawk, possum wrasse. Not all these together mind you, maybe 3 4 max
For fish its not many so choose carefully. A few ideas, clown goby, yellow goby, fire fish, pygmy hawk, possum wrasse. Not all these together mind you, maybe 3 4 max
Jesterrace
Active Member
Yeah, I think my Snowflake Occ might have done in my Scissortail Dartfish last year. He tried bullying my Melanurus Wrasse and my Diamond Watchman Goby but they had no problem putting him in check. My Wrasse got tired of it and actually bit the clownfish on the tail and shook him like a ragdoll. He didn't bother the Wrasse much after that. 